Super Bowl LVII will feature a showdown between the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. The winner will be crowned champion of the 2022 NFL season.
Could Sunday’s game provide the showcase of a future Green Bay Packers player?
Here are a few upcoming free agents for Packers fans to watch during the Super Bowl on Sunday:
Chiefs S Juan Thornhill
Thornhill has become a popular free-agent target for the Packers. In fact, we picked him as a free agent the Packers should sign in our network-wide post on Friday. While Thornhill hasn’t developed into a game-changer, he’s a reliable player in coverage who has logged over 3,500 career snaps over four seasons. The Packers need a free safety, especially considering Darnell Savage was benched and then moved to the slot to end 2022. During the Chiefs’ two postseason wins so far, Thornhill delivered six tackles without a miss, broke up two passes and allowed just one catch into his coverage.
Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Like Allen Lazard, Smith-Schuster will likely find an attractive market given the lack of receivers about to hit free agency. The supply problem will probably push his contract value out of Green Bay’s budget, but Smith-Schuster is still worth considering given his age (26), history of production (three seasons with 70 or more catches) and ability to play in the slot (64.1 percent of routes run from slot in career). He rarely drops passes and can create after the catch. Throw him inside with Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson on the perimeter and the Packers would have a terrific trio of pass-catchers for whoever is playing quarterback in 2023.
Eagles S Marcus Epps
Epps, 27, played over 1,000 snaps at safety for the Eagles in 2022. He’s a terrific player against the run but has struggled at times in coverage, where he allowed five touchdown passes without an interception this past season. The Eagles played him in the box, in the slot and at free safety, highlighting his versatility. It’s possible the Packers could see him as an Adrian Amos type moving forward, with his best football yet to come and the potential for being a building block in the secondary.
Eagles QB Gardner Minshew
The Packers may be in the market for a backup quarterback behind Jordan Love if Aaron Rodgers departs via retirement or trade. Minshew likely won’t play in the Super Bowl as the backup to Jalen Hurts, but he makes sense in Green Bay as a younger but experienced No. 2 quarterback who can play at a winning level in a pinch. Over four NFL seasons, Minshew has completed 63 percent of his passes, thrown 44 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions and produced a passer rating of 93.1.
Eagles OL Andre Dillard
The 2019 first-round pick has the movement ability and versatility that the Packers covet along the offensive line. While Dillard played only 714 total snaps over four seasons in Philadelphia, he’s a proficient pass-blocker who can play tackle or guard. If the Packers don’t bring back Yosh Nijman or feel the depth up front needs help, Dillard could be a cheap, buy-low option.
Chiefs OLB Carlos Dunlap
The Packers might be in the market for a veteran edge rusher this offseason. Dunlap turns 34 later this month, but he still delivered 32 pressures over 377 pass-rushing snaps for the Chiefs in 2022. Adding Dunlap could lessen the pressure on Rashan Gary returning from his knee injury right away in 2023 and give the Packers an experienced option in the second-team pass-rushing group.
Others
Chiefs WR Justin Watson: He’s 6-2 and can block and run. Definitely a Packers type of receiver.
Eagles S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson: He’s going to cost a small fortune in free agency, likely ruling out the Packers from the equation.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman: He won’t play on Sunday while on injured reserve. His incredible speed would only amplify what the Packers are already building at wide receiver.
